"Let Them Eat Dirt!"

You know, sometimes I want to simply give up and go off and enjoy life. The gross denial or ignorance that characterizes the human condition is simply too much. It's everywhere, absolutely everywhere.

• Conservative blowhards in the U.S. don't mind telling lies, no matter their supposed Christian values and patriotic verve, as they follow Rush Limbaugh's line of logic undermining the President of the United States.

• Hamas in Gaza declares "victory" over Israel amongst the rubble and burial grounds of their wasted little corner of the planet, and use whatever logic is needed to justify firing more rockets into Jewish civilian homes.

• The Catholic Church promotes unrestrained birthing on a set of islands that is overburdened with millions of poor people one day away from starving, amidst seas that are fished to desert, mountains whose trees are clear cut to mud and climate volatility that threatens to upend agricultural production.

• The seas will be a meter higher at the end of the century, promising to wash away even more homes and farmland and children in the Philippines as cities do nothing about passing or enforcing zoning laws that could restrict where homes can be built.

It is shameful that supposedly intelligent people align their thinking to fit a need, an agenda, rather than speak forthrightly and honestly. They learn to adjust their understanding of truth to fit their desires; they begin to believe their own deceits. That's why Republicans in the U.S. were devastated that Mitt Romney lost. They thought all of America hated that incompetent black socialist liar who held the presidency.  They had adjusted their thinking to find a new truth, and that truth was flat-assed wrong.

The truth is most of us respect President Obama.

We dislike fat pompous blowhard radio commentators who push deceitful agendas rather than honest analysis. Or networks that claim to be "fair and balanced" as they twist words and truth into a vision that suits their higher purpose. Ratings.

There are the responsible and the irresponsible. 

The irresponsible are those educated enough to know better.

Take Catholic priests and their higher ranking officers, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and the Commander in Chief, the Pope.

They can add.

They can see.

But they can't figure out that the Philippines is on an unsustainable path to riot and destruction, the calamities of Revelations brought to us courtesy of a doctrine that ignores the truth of arithmetic. These men simply refuse to see. They have created their own reality and they are growing lunatic in the expression of it.

"Ethnic cleansing" says one, about RH supporters.

Another threatens to blacklist politicians who vote with compassionate hearts for the RH Bill.

Shrill, these men in frocks.

I hope the new Cardinal Tagle, a good and temperate man, will temper these baser manlike howlings lest they become downright satanic.

I'm curious. I know the priests minister to the masses, guide and accept confession and provide solace during tragedy.

But when has the Catholic Church actually contributed by helping solve any of the difficult problems facing Filipinos? They've presumably had plenty of opportunities during the 500 years they have been weighing heavily on moral, political and economic conditions in the Philippines. Yet the Philippines struggles. Even the enlightened of God can't seem to get things in order.

So here's a little test assignment  for the Church gurus, those wise old men who claim superior knowledge over the rest of us believers and heathens.

Tell us frankly my good sirs, what do we do about tuna?

Yes, yes. Is the change of topic too abrupt for you? Let me run it past you again.  It is my contention that the Catholic Church does nothing to solve real problems in the Philippines. So I merely use tuna as the case study. You frocked fathers say poverty in the Philippines is a matter of economics, and the government is simply not up to the task. Okay, so I'm asking you to advise the government what to do about tuna.

It is a little intricate, but here is what I've gleaned from reading about the tuna situation in the Asia Pacific:

• Environmentalists warn that global tuna stocks are being depleted too fast, and will soon reach a point of non-sustainability.

• The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) consists of 30 member nations and territories that coordinate fishing rules. The member states met in Manila a few weeks ago to deal with concerns about disappearing tuna stock.

• The WCPFC members refused to cut back their tuna catch and refused to abandon destructive "longline" fishing techniques that sweep up huge schools of fish in one gigantic gulp. Short-term self-interest rules. Not long-term sustainability of fisheries.

• The Philippines has had exclusive rights to fish for tuna in "Pocket 1" for two years. This is a 560,000 square mile area east of Indonesia and north of Palau. Japan, Korea and China successfully argued that the area should be opened to other nations. The Philippines must now compete for catch in that area.

• The Philippine tuna catch declined from 637,000 metric tons to 504,000 metric tons from 2008 to 2009, the latest years that statistics are available.

So the picture is dire, indeed.

• The Philippines adds 1.7 million mouths per year.

• Tuna canning is one of its most important industries in the Philippines.

• Tuna are being fished dry and the overall catch is down dramatically.

• Other nations are greedily after the same tuna that sustains Philippine food and canning stocks.

So kindly instruct us, dear priests, on what Philippine government policy should be regarding tuna.

You seem so easily involved in other political issues.

Perhaps you can provide guidance here, as well.

Let them eat . . . what?

Prayers?